The 10th Avenue Jazz Band’s varied and energetic new interpretations of familiar jazz songs has allowed them to tour the world (Australia, China, Morocco, Canada, Portugal, Norway, Russia, Spain, Italy, the Uk…). Playing anything from Dixieland to cha cha, reggae and waltzes, 10th Avenue have earned themselves a place at this year’s Birmingham International Jazz Festival which is where DiS caught up with their tuba player, Dan Zeilinger.

“How important is a festival such as this to the jazz scene at the moment?”

Dan: “Well it definitely gives the general public a bigger exposure to jazz. I don’t know what it’s like in the UK but in the United States there’s almost no exposure on the radio, on television or in the media. So at the very least it gives the public a chance to see what we’re doing.”

“What do you see as the future for jazz music especially given it’s lack of exposure?”

“Well it’s interesting; There’s always going to be a small contingent of kids who find the music and then try to play it. Recently we’ve had bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy who’ve heard all the old records and given them their own interpretation; which seems to be more swing orientated these days. I think jazz will always exist as a sub-culture. It’ll never be mainstream, because it never was.”

“So how did you start playing jazz?”

“That’s a long and ugly story! I started out as a trumpet player in collage. I was playing salsa music and rock n’ roll when a bunch of guys came up to me and said, “Hey, do you want to play Dixieland?” I said, “I don’t care! Music is music!” That’s how it happened really! I moved onto tuba and it was just by accident I guess!”

“What’s been the highlight of your career in 10th Avenue?”

“There’s been a lot of great moments; we travel the world! The band’s traveled to Hungary, China, India, Morocco, all over the world so it’s hard to say what the greatest moment was. It’s difficult because we’ve been a privileged and extremely lucky band.”

“How are you enjoying your time in Britain then?”

“Very much. It’s my 5th time here. The first was in 1982 with that collage band I spoke to you about. It’s wonderful even though it’s hard to drive and navigate sometimes because the streets are so narrow. I drive our equipment van and it’s difficult! Other than that, the people are always so friendly and they all
love jazz! They’re much more educated about American jazz music than any American which is a good thing!”

“Being in a band who tours so much, is it hard being away from home for so long?”

“Yeah, I have a son who’s 19, a daughter who’s 15 and a wife; they’re used to it because I’ve been a musician all of my life. My son’s now playing trumpet and my daughter the drums so they’re understanding what it’s about. Sometimes they come with me though. My son’s been to China and my daughter to Spain and Portugal.”

“So how long do you think you can carry on?”

“Oh, until I drop probably! I can’t really afford to quit!”

Tim: “So is this your job?”

“This is my job. This band travels 42 weekends a year.”

“Does it pay well?”

“Well, it’s all relative isn’t it? For me, I don’t pay for the airplanes, I don’t pay for the hotels, I perform for great people like yourselves and all I have to pay for is food. It depends what country we’re in. When we were in Norway, it was $8 for a beer! Gimme a break! Here is a bit more expensive than it is at home but in places like Australia or China, it’s less expensive so it depends on where we go. It pays alright though. I have a wife and 2 kids in the United States who I manage to support so it can’t be too bad! It’s a very difficult life to try and raise a family with; it’s better when you’re single!”

“How did 10th Avenue get together then?”

“This band has been constantly evolving over the years. Originally it was our trombone player’s band when he was at university. There’s been personnel changes throughout the years. I’ve been in the band 5 years now and mostly it’s done by reputation. They say they need a good drummer for example and they look around for the best drummer who’s available.”

“For people who haven’t heard much jazz music, which bands would you recommend as a good starting point for them to listen to?”

“That’s a difficult question. As a band we all listen to a lot of old jazz and that makes it very difficult to listen to because of all the scratches on the records for example. The Manchester Jazz Band though are wonderful…and they swing like heck! Of all the bands I know in the UK, they’re my favorites.”

“Finally, how rock n’ roll is jazz these days?”

“Well now, that’s a good question because only very few people realise that jazz was the rock n’ roll of it’s time. In the early nineteen hundreds, kids would come together, pick up the loudest instruments, write the most sexual lyrics and really make their parents angry. If more kids understood that I think they’d listen. Nowadays though, it’s all old guys with leisure trousers and the image of Dixieland jazz is just awful!!”